When I think back to that day when Gov. DeWine pushed the big, red button for our state being in a national emergency, I never envisioned this. I never envisioned that an emergency, a word that has historically triggered a short term fight/flight/freeze response, would be dragged out over months of anxiety-inducing uncertainty.
Do I disagree with our governor? Absolutely not.
Do I wish this was done now? Absolutely.
This is such a long time for our systems to be "at the ready" at all times; it is nearly impossible to continue being vigilant with every interaction we have. It is painful to isolate from those who we love. It is with a grieving heart that we halt big celebrations of weddings and milestone events.
And yet, the landscape of this insidious thing is not getting better. At this point, that day in March feels like a fire drill for the real, rampant, wildfire we have now. It is at its' worst here where we live, today. The second worst day was yesterday. The third was the day before that.
We cannot afford to let our frustration and craving for normalcy drive us to the point of endangering ourselves and others as we have already come so far, weathering this storm together.
Between a highly contentious election, fear about both domestic and international relationships, continued violence towards POC, and facing the reality that many of us have been quarantined for exactly eight months, it is no wonder we are all worn out.
This time has been divisive; I have lost close friends who I never realized needed to be together, in person, for a friendship to work. It has been formative; friendships that were strong before are now ironclad in their support and resilience. It has been hampering; dreams, hopes, life plans have been put on hold. It has been imaginative; with all this "free time" our imaginations have run wild and created good things out of a bad situation.
Nothing is straightforward about how we handle this crippling virus as a social species, my friends. What is straightforward is that we continue to do it together, even apart from one another physically.
We can, we will, we are-doing this.
Prepare,don't panic,
-Allison
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